2022 Leadership Positions
30 January 2022
UPDATE: Welcome our 2022 New Leaders!
At the Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, January 30th, the Nominating Committee presented the nominees to the congregation. No additional nominations were received from the floor, and the following nominees were unanimously elected! We give thanks to God for the many gifts each of them offers to our congregation, and for their faithful willingness to serve.
12 January 2022
from the Nominating Committee
We are blessed with an abundance of leaders at St. Luke's! The nominating committee is pleased to share candidates for positions in 2022. Please read their bios and check out their photos below, then come prepared to vote at our annual meeting on January 30. You can still nominate yourself or others now or at the meeting.
Questions or additional nominations? Please contact Sara Spoonheim Amit (sara.spoonheim@gmail.com), Em Jacoby (jacoby.em@gmail.com), or Andrew Bailey (hoosier1969@gmail.com).
Candidates were asked to respond to the following questions:
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your involvement at St. Luke's.
2. What experiences (professional, personal and/or church-related) will you bring to this role?
3. As our community lives through an extended pandemic, adjusts to new shared space, and takes stock of our declining savings account, what hopes and priorities do you bring for St. Luke's?
Church Council
(2 positions, 3-year term):
Church council members are the guiding board of the congregation, leading us through a pandemic and looking toward a future with reduced financial savings. Continuing members include: Katie Baxter, Gretchen Burch, Marit Johnson, and Megan Moran.
Candidates currently include: Katy Ajer, Andrew Bailey
UPDATE: Katy Ajer and Andrew Bailey unanimously elected to serve!
Katy Ajer:
I've been attending St. Luke's since I moved to Chicago in fall of 2016. My participation has been a bit sporadic as my job involved traveling quite frequently before the pandemic. However, I've always felt St. Luke's to be a place to find time for peace and reconnect with God when I've been struggling.
I currently work with the ELCA Churchwide Office as the Program Director, World Hunger (International Portfolio), and have worked at a congregation as a youth director. These experiences have given me a good view of the full expression of the ELCA from church council meetings, to larger national initiatives and how individual congregations can participate with those. Personally, I have been attending an ELCA congregation since I was a child and have a strong passion for the importance of a faith community that allows for interaction between generations.
One thing that I've always liked about St. Luke's is its desire to be connected to the larger Logan Square community and participate in local initiatives and events. My hope is to see that continue and grow. I've also appreciated the ways that St. Luke's has reached out in the midst of the pandemic, especially for children's ministries, with mailings and ideas for things to do with children. This has made me feel less alone. My priority is for St. Luke's to continue to focus on the things it can do around relationships, while strategizing on what ways there may be to have some financial stability for continued community. I've admired the decisions that the church council has been making, and their pragmatic and thoughtful approach and would hope to continue that work as I learn more about the details of where the church is at.
Andrew Bailey:
I have been a member of St. Luke's since 2015. I have served on the Nominating Committee twice, currently am a member of the Youth Group, and serve in worship in various roles. I also currently serve on the Finance Committee, monitoring the endowment fund.
I was an ELCA pastor from 1996-2014; serving two different congregations in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod. I was a voting delegate at the 2007 ELCA Church-wide Assembly. I am currently the case manager at Uplift Community High School in Uptown.
We are a faith community who desires to remain a vibrant voice in the Logan Square community. As such, we need to continue to faithfully discern how best to minister within our community. As a former pastor, whose service started well after the decline in mainline Protestant congregations, these types of concerns were always at the forefront of my ministry. I bring that experience to my roles at St. Luke's. I am grateful for the past and present leadership of the church council at St. Luke's. My hope is to lend my voice and experience to be a part of that leadership during the next council term.
Finance Committee
(1 position, 1-year term):
Finance committee members create the annual budget and conduct periodic budget reviews throughout the year.
Candidates currently include: Jillian Madden
UPDATE: Jillian Madden unanimously elected to serve!
Jillian Madden:
My partner and I joined St. Luke's in 2019 after moving to Chicago from Atlanta the year before. In June 2021 we welcomed our daughter, Adeline, and we are looking forward to getting more involved at St. Luke's this year. I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and am a coffee, food, and book lover.
I work in fundraising at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and regularly work with budgets and finances. I have served on various nonprofit boards in both Chicago and Atlanta and will bring those experiences with me when serving at St. Luke's.
By serving on the finance committee, I will work to make sure St. Luke's has the funds needed to continue operations and ensure the longevity of the congregation.
Nominating Committee
(3 positions, 1-year term):
The nominating committee works in November and December to identify members for church leadership positions to create the slate of candidates for the annual meeting. It typically includes an outgoing member of Council.
Candidates currently include: Erika Dornfeld (outgoing council member), Jonathan Burch, Maeve Raphelson
UPDATE: Erika Dornfeld, Jonathan Burch, and Maeve Raphelson unanimously elected to serve!
Erika Dornfeld(outgoing council member):
I have been a member of St Lukes since 2011, when I moves to Logan Square through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Since then I have moved to the Hyde Park neighborhood but have continued to be involved in St Lukes in various ways. Most recently I have been on the church council and on the space sharing team.
In my professional life, I work with graduate students to discern what kind of internship would best serve their vocational path. I enjoy talking with people and thinking through what their gifts and skills are. And I love getting to know people at St Lukes!
As our community lives through an extended pandemic, adjusts to new shared space, and takes stock of our declining savings account, what hopes and priorities do you bring for St. Luke's? I hope that St. Lukes is able to have substantive conversations about our possible futures.There is a lot of determination and creative energy in the congregation, and I'm hopeful we discover those futures together.
Jonathan Burch:
I have been a member of St. Luke's for close to a decade. In that time I have served on property-related ministries, the Council, Finance Committee, and as treasurer.
Long-standing knowledge of the congregation.
My hope is that the church can regain the moment for the future that I felt in the fall of 2019.
Maeve Raphelson:
I was raised Catholic and started attending St. Luke's because I wanted to find a church that better shared my values. I have tried to attend events where possible since I started attending. Recently, I helped with the cookie exchange/fundraiser.
I was involved in ministry in various ways in high school and pretty active in campus ministry at my university--mostly planning retreats. I'm also in leadership of a board I sit on, so I am good at keeping things organized.
Because I recently joined, my priority is strengthening the community feeling for St. Luke's. I would like to see us bring back some of the past activities I hear about and develop new ones for the new normal.
Synod Assembly Delegates (2 positions, 1-year term):
Synod assembly delegates attend the annual synod assembly in June and represent St. Lukes.
Candidates currently include: Marge Radtke and Charlotte Flynn
UPDATE: Marge Radtke and Charlotte Flynn unanimously elected to serve!
Marge Radtke:
I currently am a mentor for the youth group, and serve occasionally as an usher or bread baker for worship. I have also helped to coordinate past events. My passions include water aerobics, biking, and crafting. I love telling stories about my passions with a jolt of humor.
When I became a member of St. Luke’s I was motivated to understand the core values of our community and see where I fit. I quickly began volunteering to help with events, worship, the youth group, and recently took a lead in organizing one of our more delicious events, the cookie exchange. Because of this experience, I feel like I have a good grasp as to what is important to us, am able to engage others for their opinions, and most importantly would love to represent St. Luke’s.
I have had the privilege of becoming part of the St. Luke’s community during the strangest of pandemic times. I understand the need to take risks, reach out to community, and trust God’s plan. I hope to see St. Luke’s grow and become a trusted resource for those in need.
Charlotte Flynn:
I’ve been a member at St. Luke’s since 2016. I been involved in various ways since joining, including former small groups like Table Talk, playing flute and singing, and previously served on the council. I’m currently on the Public Faith team.
Former council member at St Luke’s, currently on the Public Faith Team. I also used to work at Churchwide.
My hopes and priorities right now mainly feel centered around community and connection. It feels hard to connect with each other and with new folks during this time, but also feels like a critical need for a lot of us who are struggling with isolation in the pandemic.